Our Favorite Modern Day Robber Movies

Heat (1995)

Two men with strong convictions stand on opposite sides of the law. One is Neil McCauley, a proud career criminal bent on the last big job before he retires. The other is Lieutenant Hanna, a man so caught up in his duty and principles that he has pretty much all but ignored his own family just to chase down criminals. Not surprisingly, the two cross paths and despite their mutual respect for each other's convictions, they clash. This Michael Mann directed film stars Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Val Kilmer. The story is

Inside Man (2006)

A professionally executed robbery and hostage situation at a bank quickly gains the attention of the press and media. What's more, the man behind the crew of the robbery, Dalton Russel, is quickly proving himself to be quite the mastermind. Hostage negotiator and NYPD Detective Keith Frazier constantly finds himself falling more than a few steps behind his target. To make matters worse, the arrival of Madeline White, a fixer, hints that this elaborate crime is not all that it seems. This thrilling Spike Lee movie stars Clive Owen, Denzel Washington, and Jodie Foster.

The Town (2010)

Doug McRay's crew holds bank employee Claire as hostage during a robbery. They let her go after they escape but Doug keeps an eye on her when he learns that she lives in the same area as they do. But as he gets closer to her, Doug realizes that he now threads a thin line between maintaining the identities of his bank robbing crew safe and his growing emotions for the one witness who might be able to identify them all. This film marks one of Ben Affleck's earlier directed works and pays homage to Charlestown, Boston.

The Italian Job (1969)

Michael Caine stars in this classic heist film about big scores, breaking into prison, dealing with the Mafia(s), and of course, making an amazing getaway. For an old school movie, The Italian Job is most famous for its witty dialogue, great pacing, an incredibly complex chase scene involving three Minis (which is only rivaled by its modern retelling), and of course, a by-now iconic ‘cliffhanger ending' that is a lot more literal than what most people would expect. And for those of you who have never seen this movie, just know that this is where the quote “Hang on lads, I've got a great idea” comes from.

Inception (2010)

This visually incredible heist movie does not target a bank, museum, secret vault, or some other traditionally defended location. No, this is about a crew of experts working together to break into the human mind. In the world of Inception, invading and influencing other people's dreams is the new MO for criminals -subtly manipulating the way they act and make decisions but planting ideas into their subconscious. And they plant this idea not by hypnotism or some other external method, instead, they literally go inside the target's dream. If you ever wondered what Hollywood's best version of “dream within a dream” is, then this movie is it. Oh, do be warned, the ever predictable ‘is it a dream or is it real' ploy is predictably used in the movie.

The Dark Knight (2008)

What is a superhero movie doing in a list of the best crime movies? When you've got the Clown Prince of Crime at his cinematic best, then your movie better have one of the most awesome heists. And The Dark Knight does, the first act is an elaborate bank heist filled with precision planning, betrayal, and a getaway plan so extreme that only the Joker can pull it off. The rest of the film showcases Joker maniacally dissecting organized crime and staging even more elaborate moral dilemmas for the film's titular hero. Director Christopher Nolan is lucky to have had the honor of having the late Heath Ledger's peerless performance as Joker in the second film of the Nolan-directed Batman trilogy.

Ronin (1998)

A mercenary group composed of former agents is hired to acquire a metallic briefcase. While the job seems straightforward at first, it appears that not everything and everyone is as it seems. Pretty soon, the scale of problems spiral and the intelligence agencies of several countries get involved. This impressive heist/spy film stars Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Sean Bean, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Lonsdale and several others. The screenplay and story by JD Zeik will have viewers on the edge of their seats and constantly guessing from start to end.

Ocean's Eleven (2002)

Danny Ocean leads a crew of specialist criminals on one of the largest heists ever planned on one of the most difficult targets they can have: a casino. There's a lot of planning involved and a lot of things can go wrong -especially when the crew learns that Danny's reason for targeting the casino is not the just temptation of a big score, but also for a more personal reason. Apparently, the owner of the casino is his ex-wife's new husband. Ocean's Eleven features an ensemble cast headlined by George Clooney, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon.

Point Break (1991)

When Agent Johnny Utah infiltrates a gang of bank robbing surfers, he finds it hard to not understand their way of thinking, their adrenaline-pumped lifestyle, and even their own justifications for their actions. And the more he respects group leader Bodhi and starts developing feelings for Tyler, the more his dedication to his work as a lawman becomes a problem for him to deal with. The film stars Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

Fast & Furious 5 (2011)

Contrary to what non-series fans may think, Furious 5 is not a racing movie. Sure, it features fast cars and crazy chase scenes, but F5 is an honest to goodness heist film that is so fun to watch that viewers will be willing to forget how laws of physics actually work just to enjoy the wonderfully choreographed car chases. There are very words that can describe the amazing chaos that happens onscreen, just know that the film's climax involves a high speed chase on the streets of Rio that includes an entire armored vault being dragged around the streets like a car-flail. Aside from Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker headlining this movie, Dwayne Johnson also makes his first appearance in the film franchise here.

The Score (2001)

Nick Wells is a career criminal with one simple rule: always work alone. This mantra has kept him alive and successful so far. But before heading into retirement, his fence manages to convince him to take one last job with a score that will set both for life. Unfortunately, the target is not going to be easy, and Nick will have to work with an unpredictable new player in the field, Jack Teller, in order to get the job done. The film starts Robert De Niro as Nick while Edward Norton takes on the role of Jack in this suspenseful heist movie.

The Bank Job (2008)

The Bank Job is a movie retelling of the real life Baker Street Bank Robbery from the 1970's. In the film, a crew of robbers rent a store a door away from the bank and tunnel underneath it in order to gain access to the security deposit boxes. Unbeknownst to the robbers, the job was setup by the government itself in order to gain access to the contents of one box. This Jason Statham movie is part heist, part espionage, and all thrilling.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

The Thomas Crown Affair is an incredibly smart movie that manages to put together a wonderful romantic story in the pretext of a massive heist. Catherine Benning is an investigator for an insurance company that has been tasked to help solve the theft of a painting. This leads her into an intimate game of cat and mouse with Thomas Crown, a wealthy and charming man whom she suspects of stealing the painting. As they continue to interact, it appears that Crown wants more than just the painting, he also plans to steal Catherine's heart. The movie stars Rene Russo as Catherine and Pierce Brosnan as Thomas.

Public Enemies (2009)

This movie is a retelling of the infamous bank robber, John Dillinger -a man who gained the reputation of America's most wanted, and the FBI agent who is chasing after him, Melvin Pulvis. Dillinger moves from one crime to the next, keeping a trail of chaos in his wake. He manages to evade ambushes, break into prison, and even get into messes with the Mafia. All because he cannot help but avoid the thrill of taking down a score. Johnny Depp lends his talents to bring Dillinger to life while Christian Bale does an amazing portrayal of Agent Pulvis.